Frequently Asked Questions

Anyone who lives, attends school, works at a school, or pays property taxes in Oklahoma City or Oklahoma County can receive a Metropolitan Library System card for free. If you meet one of these qualifications, you can apply for a card online (and begin using it immediately) or you can apply for a card at any Metro Library location. If you apply for a card online, you will not be issued a physical card unless you visit a Metro Library location and ask for one.

Anyone enrolled in Oklahoma City Public Schools can use their student ID to access Metro Library resources. Additionally, anyone who lives, works, or attends school in Cleveland County, McClain County, or Pottawatomie County or students who live in Grady County and attend school in the Blanchard School district can receive a Metropolitan Library System card for free. If you meet one of these qualifications, you can apply for a card online (and begin using it immediately) or you can apply for a card at any Metro Library location. To apply in person, please bring proof of ID, including proof of current address (an up-to-date driver's license would satisfy both requirements). Parents or guardians must provide address verification for minors (16 and under). Examples of acceptable identification:

• Any photo ID issued by the U.S. Federal, Tribal, or any State Government (examples include a driver’s license, Tribal ID, current passport, green card, state employee ID card)
• Birth Certificate
• Current vehicle insurance verification form
• Student ID card with a photo of the student on it
• Acceptable evidence of current school, college, or university enrollment or employment (examples include an official transcript or registrar’s receipt for students; examples for staff include a pay stub or staff ID card)
• Social Security card
• Medicare or other medical plan card
• Current credit card
• Military ID card; include rank and serial number on the application
• Voter registration card
• Personal check with printed name
• Parent or guardian’s identification for students under age 17 who are unable to provide proof of eligibility, provided the parent or guardian meets eligibility requirements
• Oklahoma County ad valorem property tax statement
• Utility bills or receipts postmarked within 30 days
• Copy of current lease
• Mortgage paperwork within 90 days of notarization

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We have various types of library cards. Learn which one is right for you.

Primary Card
If you live in or own property in Oklahoma City or Oklahoma County, you can get a card for free. If you are 16 or younger, a parent or guardian must be present to co-sign the application and card.

ONEcard
If you are a student in Oklahoma City Public Schools, you are eligible for a free card and can use your student ID to access Metro Library resources. Note: a physical card will not be issued.

Reciprocal Card
If you live, work, or attend school in Cleveland, McClain or Pottawatomie counties or are a Blanchard school district student living in Grady County, you can also get a Metro Library card for free.

School Card
Students and school employees who do not qualify for a primary or reciprocal card may be eligible for a school card if their school is physically located in Oklahoma City or Oklahoma County. School cards are valid for 1 year, and eligibility must be verified annually. School cards provide access to all Metro Library services except interlibrary loan. Students must present proof of enrollment, and teachers must present proof of employment.

Annual Fee Card
If you don't meet the qualifications for one of the cards listed above and you live in Oklahoma, you can purchase an annual fee card for $70 per year.  This fee also allows your immediate family members living in the same household to have their own library accounts at no additional cost.  If you use our library value calculator to tally the cost of purchasing books, CDs, magazines, music, DVDs, eBooks, eAudiobooks, newspapers, and internet access, you will see the value of the $70 fee. You can apply for a card in person at any Metro Library or by contacting us.

Internet Access Card
If you're a visitor to our system or are otherwise unable to show proof of residence, you can request an internet access card which provides access to the public computers.

Note: If you are a resident of Oklahoma County and are 65 years or older or completely homebound, you might be eligible for our Library by Mail service. Call 405-606-3295 to consult with the Library by Mail specialist to determine your eligibility.

To sign into your library account, visit metrolibrary.org and click the My Account button at the top. When prompted, enter all the digits of your library card number.

• If you have an ECARD number, enter that word along with the trailing digits with no spaces between them. For example: ecard1234567
• If your card number has a lowercase letter "c" at the end, do not include it when you enter your card number.

The password will be your full last name. If your last name is hyphenated or has a space or apostrophe, you will have to enter that hyphen, space, or apostrophe and if that doesn't work, try your last name without the hyphen, space, or apostrophe and let us know if you would like us to correct your name.

NOTE: After clicking My Account, if you see a blank page that never loads, you are probably using an outdated browser that is incompatible with our catalog. Try updating your browser to the most recent version.

1. Visit metrolibrary.org/ill and if you haven't created an account, click the First Time Users link.
2. Complete the New User Registration form, using your library card number as your username and your last name as your password. Note: ILL notifications will only be delivered via email or postal mail.
3. After you complete registration and sign in, in the New Request menu at the left, select the type of material you wish to borrow.
4. Complete the request form then click Submit Request. If your title has an ISBN number, providing the ISBN will expedite your request so use a search engine to search for the phrase your title isbn to find its ISBN. Note: After submitting your request, if you are directed to the sign in screen, your session has timed out but your request should have successfully submitted. You can sign in and click All Requests to ensure your request was received.

Note: The interlibrary loan service is not available for reciprocal, ONEcard, and school cardholders.

Your library card number is printed on your library card near the barcode. If you don't have your card on you and need to know your number, please contact us and we'll be happy to assist you. If you have lost your card, please contact us as soon as possible so we can put a block on your card to prevent anyone else from using it.

If you are enrolled in Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS), your library card number is the same as your student ID.

If you are already signed into Libby and need to find your number, you can do so by following these steps:

1. Click on the three horizontal lines at the middle of the bottom of the screen
2. Select Manage Cards
3. A picture of a library card should display with your number on it.

If you are already signed into our catalog and need to find your number, you can do so by following these steps:

1. Click on your name in the top right corner of the screen
2. Select Your Library Card from the drop-down menu
3. A barcode will display with your library card number and expiration date underneath.

 

Our autorenewal service will automatically attempt to renew your checked out titles 3 days before they are due. If autorenewal is successful, you will not receive a notification; your due date will extend another 3 weeks and no additional action is necessary on your part. If autorenewal is unsuccessful, you will be notified ONLY if you are set up for email and/or text notifications.

To check your notification settings, visit metrolibrary.org/myaccount. After signing in with your card number and last name, click on your name in the top right corner of the page. Select Contact Information. From this page, you can update your phone number and email address and opt in or out of email and text notifications.

Not Able to Renew?

If you tried to renew a title and saw the message Item cannot be renewed at this time, it could be because: 

• It is an interlibrary loan title (ILL), an Experience Pass, a hotspot, a discovery backpack, or a garden tool.
• Another person has placed a hold on this item AND we have no other copies on the shelf.
• You have reached your maximum number of allowed renewals (3).
• Your library card has expired.
• You have fines on your account that are preventing the renewal.

A "soft block" means there is an issue on your account we need to address. There are several reasons why you might have a soft block on your account, including but not limited to:

• We have duplicate accounts for you in our system
• You updated your address online in the old catalog and we need to see proof of address
• You reported your library card as lost or stolen so we need to issue you a new card
• We need to update your contact information because an email bounced back to us or we received returned mail from you

A soft block will prevent you from using the self check machine and the kiosk, but you can still check out physical items at the front desk. If you have a soft block on your account, please contact us so we can address the issue on your account and clear the block.

In-Library Printing

All 19 libraries offer printing from our public computers. The cost is $0.10 per page for black and white, $0.50 per page for color. You can pay for prints with bills, coins, or a debit or credit card.

NOTE: When you use a debit or credit card to pay for prints, a $10 hold will be placed on your card. The unused funds will be refunded in 24-48 hours.

There is also an express computer at the Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library that allows anyone with a library card or an internet guest pass to sign up for 15 minutes of use, including printing.

Mobile and Offsite Printing

You can print from your personal desktop, laptop, or mobile device to a library printer by emailing the document to us, uploading it through our website, or installing the app. To retrieve your print job, visit your library and enter your information at the print release terminal.

You can email the document to us at bw-metrolibrary@eprintitsaas.com  (for black and white prints) or color-metrolibrary@eprintitsaas.com (for color prints).

You can upload your document to our website at metrolibrary.org/mobileprint.

More information about printing at the Metropolitan Library

We are fine free for all Metro-owned materials except technology (hotspots, laptops, and iPads), Experience Passes, and titles borrowed via interlibrary loan. Items that are lost or damaged will still incur replacement fees.

OVERDUE FINES

• Interlibrary loan items are $.50 per day up to the replacement cost of the item 
• Wi-Fi hotspots are $.50 per day to a maximum of $30
• Experience passes are $1 per day to a maximum of $30

LOST/DAMAGED ITEMS

Once an item is 60 days overdue, the item is considered lost. The borrower who damages, loses, or does not return an item must pay the replacement cost as determined by the library system.

• Book, Magazine or Electronic Device - List price at the time of purchase
• Audiovisual Materials (CD & DVD) - Replacement cost if lost or damaged due to carelessness or neglect
• Audiovisual Materials (Case, Liner Notes, or Guide) – No charge

If your account has a balance of $50 or more, you will be prevented from borrowing materials until the balance is below $50.

If we don't own a title in a physical format (e.g. book, DVD, CD etc.), you can suggest we purchase it using the Suggest a Title form on our catalog or on the Can't Find It? section on the Browse and Borrow page.

1. Log into your account on our catalog
2. Click on your name in the top right corner and select Suggest a Title from the menu
3. Click Submit a New Title Suggestion

You can submit up to 50 titles a year and can have up to 5 active suggestions at a time. We accept suggestions for titles coming out within 1 month and already published titles.

If we don't own a title in a digital format (i.e. eBook or eAudiobook) through Libby, you may find titles that are not owned by Metro Library through the Deep Searching feature. You add a Notify Tag that will let us know that you would like us to add the title to our collection. For more information regarding the Deep Searching and Notify Me features, please visit here.

If you have a Primary or Reciprocal card, your card will automatically renew 2 weeks before its expiration date as long as your account is in good standing and has been used within the past 6 months. If your account has already expired or will expire in less than 2 weeks and you would like to renew it, please contact us. If your address has changed, we will need to see some proof of address, such as a recent piece of mail, bill, ID, or something else similar, in order to renew your card.

If you have a School card, please email us at askalibrarian@metrolibrary.org with proof of current enrollment or employment in a school in our service area and we'll look into renewing your card.

If you have an Annual Fee card, the $70 charge should be added to your account several days before it expires. If the fee has not been added yet and you are ready to pay now, please contact us.

If it has been longer than a week since you returned it and it is still showing up on your account, please contact us and we can start the search for the item.

Physical Titles

All physical titles (books, CDs, DVDs, Playaways, etc.), Discovery Backpacks, garden tools, and Wi-Fi hotspots check out for 3 weeks. Experience Passes check out for 1 week.

Renewals
Our autorenewal service will automatically attempt to renew your checked out titles 3 days before they are due. If autorenewal is successful, you will not receive a notification; your due date will extend another 3 weeks and no additional action is necessary on your part. If autorenewal is unsuccessful, you will be notified ONLY if you are set up for email and/or text notifications.

To check your notification settings, visit metrolibrary.org/myaccount. After signing in with your card number and last name, click on your name in the top right corner and then select "Contact Information" from the menu. You can opt in or out of email and text notifications from this page, and you can also update your email address and phone number there.

When a physical title is renewed, it is due back 3 weeks from the end of the original loan period and not 3 weeks from the day you renewed it unless you renew it on the day it is due or you renew it while it is overdue.

Example: A book is checked out on the 1st and is due back on the 22nd. If the book is renewed at any point between the 1st and the 22nd, it is due back 3 weeks from the 22nd.

Titles borrowed via interlibrary loan (ILL), Wi-Fi hotspots, Experience Passes, garden tools, and discovery backpacks cannot be renewed.

 

Digital Titles

eBooks and eAudiobooks from Libby can be checked out for 1 or 2 weeks. You can select the checkout period for each title at the time of checkout. Libby titles can be renewed unless there is a hold on the title. You can also renew items through the Overdrive website.

Magazines from Libby check out for 21 days at a time.

eBooks from EBSCO have no lending limit if they are read in the browser. If you wish to download an eBook from EBSCO, you can choose a lending period of 1 to 21 days.

eBooks and eAudiobooks from Odilo can be checked out for 3 weeks.

With hoopla, movies and TV shows can be checked out for 72 hours, music albums can be checked out for 7 days, and eBooks, eAudiobooks, and comics can be checked out for 21 days.

With Kanopy, checkout period is based on runtime:

• Titles up to 4 hours long have a 3-day checkout period
• Titles from 4-10 hours long have a 5-day checkout period
• Titles 10 hours and longer have a 7-day checkout period

 

Study rooms are free to use, are intended for small groups, and can be booked for up to 2 hours of use at metrolibrary.org/studyrooms.

Meeting rooms are rented by the hour and can be booked on this page. On the first of each month, we open up meeting room bookings through the last day of the following month. For example, if you want to book any day in February, the earliest day you would be able to do so would be January 1.

Your hoopla PIN is your full last name.

On a mobile device:

1. Visit metrolibrary.org and tap My Account at the top.
2. Your Library Barcode is all the digits of your library card number. Your password/PIN is your last name. Tap Login.
   • If you have an ECARD number, enter that word along with the trailing digits with no spaces between them. For example: ecard1234567
   • If your card number has a lowercase letter "c" at the end, do not include it when you enter your card number.
3. Tap on the head-and-shoulders icon  and select Fees / Lost Items from the drop-down menu. Any fines on your account will be displayed on this page, and you will also have the option to pay for them here.

A receipt of your payment will be emailed to you, and you can also choose to print the Payment Successful page.

NOTE: If you're paying to renew your annual fee card, please contact us after paying the balance so we can update the expiration date on your card.

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On a laptop/desktop:

1. Visit metrolibrary.org and click My Account at the top.
2. Your Library Barcode is all the digits of your library card number. Your password/PIN is your last name. Click Login.
   • If you have an ECARD number, enter that word along with the trailing digits with no spaces between them. For example: ecard1234567
   • If your card number has a lowercase letter "c" at the end, do not include it when you enter your card number.
3. Click Fees / Lost Items on the left sidebar. Any fines on your account will be displayed on this page, and you will also have the option to pay for them here.

A receipt of your payment will be emailed to you, and you can also choose to print the Payment Successful page.

NOTE: If you're paying to renew your annual fee card, please contact us after paying the balance so we can update the expiration date on your card.

If you live in or own property in Oklahoma City or Oklahoma County, Cleveland County, McClain County, or Pottawatomie County, you can apply for a library card using our online application and begin using the card immediately. You will be issued a card number but you will not be issued a physical card unless you visit a Metro Library location and ask for a physical card.

If the online card application gives you an error message (such as "the address provided does not match your last name"), please contact us and we can look into issuing you a card.

There are never any late fees on our eBooks and downloadable audiobooks and they automatically check themselves in at the end of the lending period. However, if you wish to return a title early:

This page has directions on how to return eBooks (including Kindle titles) and audiobooks from our OverDrive collection.

To return eBooks or audiobooks using the Libby app or libbyapp.com, go to your Shelf and tap Manage Loan next to the cover of the title you want to return. Then tap Return Early.

To return an eBook or audiobook borrowed from our hoopla collection, click the Return Now link on the borrowed title's information page.

To return an eBook borrowed from our always available eBook collection from EBSCO, open Adobe Digital Editions and view your bookshelf. Right click on the eBook you want to return and select Return Borrowed Item.

To place a hold using a desktop, laptop or tablet:

Visit catalog.metrolibrary.org to begin your search. After performing your search, click Place Hold next to the format you wish to request (book, audiobook, etc.)

If you aren’t signed in, you will be prompted to do so. After you sign in (or if you are already signed in) you will be prompted to select your pickup location.

To place a hold using a smartphone:

Visit catalog.metrolibrary.org and tap on the magnifying glass icon at the top to begin your search.

After performing your search, tap on the title you wish to request to view all formats available. Tap Place Hold next to the format you wish to request. If you aren’t signed in, you will be prompted to do so. After you sign in (or if you are already signed in) you will be prompted to select your pickup location.

For your Kindle that isn't in the Kindle Fire family (e.g. Kindle, Paperwhite, Colorsoft, Scribe, etc), check out the directions in our How-to Guides to enjoy eBooks from Libby or the OverDrive catalog.

To enjoy our always-available eBook collection from EBSCO on your Kindle e-reader, you can use Amazon's Send to Kindle option.

To search our catalog for all DVDs, please visit metrolibrary.org/dvd or you can run the search yourself by following these steps:

1. Visit our catalog and next to the search bar, click on the dropdown menu that says "Keyword." Select "Advanced Search" and hit the Search button to the right.
   
2. Click Optional Filters:
   
3. Click on the drop-down menu next to Format. Click on DVD.
4. If desired, you can use the other fields to add other filters, such as publication year, author, etc.
5. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Find.
6. You will then see search results for all DVDs in system. You can further refine your results on the left side of the results page.